“He’s been a danger to everyone in his path.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Trey corrected Kinsley smoothly. “The entire time he was in Colorado he never lost control. It wasn’t until after he was separated from his female that the changes started.”
Kinsley’s brogue thickened, as it was prone to do when he became angry. “You cannae trust information from your brother.”
“This is information straight from Gerald Night.” Trey smiled when Diskant’s head shot up and Kinsley’s anger changed to shock. “I contacted him shortly after Emory arrived. He said that Emory was just fine with the pack in Colorado Springs. There were no issues whatsoever with his control.”
“That’s not possible,” Diskant said. “If I couldn’t break through to his wolf, there’s no way an Alpha could.”
“I’m not sure why it happened, although Emory was close to his mate so I imagine she was partially responsible.” Trey stared at Diskant and braced himself when he asked, “Ava is telepathic, isn’t she?”
Any friendliness in the Omega’s face vanished. “Why the fuck do you want to know?”
“If we can keep one of the Shepherds alive she can tell us where we can find Mary.”
Diskant’s eyes shifted color and the fingers around the glass he held slowly fisted. “I’m not taking my mate anywhere near them.”
“You don’t have to. We can bring one of them to her. All we need is a location.”
Trey thought his close friend and pack mate would say no. No matter their closeness or connection, the female had overtaken his importance. Then Diskant’s irises became a familiar warm amber hue and the tension left his shoulders as he placed the shot glass on the table.
“If we do this, we do it my way. You’ll bring him to a place I decide and you’ll follow my instructions.”
Trey nodded and retrieved the bottle of Jack. “The sooner we do this the better.”
“You’ve got that right,” Kinsley said. “The prides took my word that this was settled but with Shepherds they won’t believe a word until the threat is removed.”
“I sent five of my best scouts to sniff them out before I left. We should know something in a few hours.”
“What are you thinking?” Diskant asked.
“We find and have Kinsley approach them with an offer to hand over Emory to throw them off the scent, then conduct the actual exchange just before dark. Shepherds won’t expect vampires to be involved so when Aldon does his part it will give us all the opportunity we need. But we have to make sure we take one alive.” Trey filled his glass to the rim and paused. “We need to know where Emory’s mate is.”
Diskant took the bottle from Trey and began pouring his own drink. “If we can stop them before they leave the state, it shouldn’t be difficult.”
Trey nodded and sagged as the invisible weight on his shoulders lightened considerably. Everything was falling into place. “Once we have the information we need I can start planning a trip to Colorado.” At Diskant’s questioning look he explained, “With your help, Nathan can take care of things in my absence. I’m going to contact Gerald and ask if he’s willing to offer assistance after we arrive. He wasn’t happy when he learned he had a nest of Shepherds living so close, so I have a good idea what his answer will be.”
“So that’s the way of it then?” Kinsley mused. “No room in your plan for the rest of us.”
“There won’t be enough of them to go around.” Diskant grinned, revealing elongated canines that matched his gleaming, catlike green irises.
The sounds of heavy stomping coming down the stairs stalled the conversation. The footsteps approached, coming closer, until Emory appeared with Nathan. He was clean-shaven and his hair was slicked back. The clothing was clean—a black T-shirt and jeans—and fit him decently enough. Though his irises were still bright, he no longer appeared agitated.
Trey lifted his glass, drank the strong beverage and rose from his seat. As he placed the glass on the table he turned to his sibling.
No matter what Emory had done in the past, he was still his brother. He wouldn’t be the one delivering the bad news to his mother and father, informing them that their son had returned only to be condemned to death.
“Come on.” He moved to Emory’s side and clasped his shoulder. “You need to eat and we need to talk.”
Diskant watched as Trey, Emory and Nathan walked down the hallway and disappeared into the crowd. The bar was still crowded with members of Trey’s pack who would remain until the Shepherds were taken care of. That was the beauty of the location. There were five floors in the building: the bar, the second, third and fourth floors comprised of bedrooms and showers, and the fifth floor apartment for him or important guests they protected during times of crisis.
When he thought of the apartment, recollections of Ava weren’t far off. He was still stunned by the level of their connection. The telepathic joining was as powerful as the bloodbonding—perhaps stronger in ways. Feeling what she felt, knowing beyond a doubt that she yearned for his touch as much as he ached for hers provided a powerful rush he couldn’t deny.
“You should probably get back upstairs,” Kinsley remarked knowingly. “If I had a lass as lovely as yours waiting for me I wouldn’t waste my time down here with a bottle of Jack and the company of a friend.”
He grinned. “She is beautiful, isn’t she?”
Kinsley bowed his head, studying the shot glass in his hand and nodded. “That she is.”
He stood and stepped away from the table. “Are you going to stick around for a while?”
Kinsley lifted his head to look him in the eye. “I think it best I visit a few of the prides before the morn. There is liable to be tension and we need to know if they’re planning on doing something stupid. Not that I think they would, mind you. None of them are willing to risk their tails over a death in the ranks. We’re not the loyal sort wolves are.”
“Thank you.” He extended his hand and Kinsley shook it.
“Not a problem. If you learn anything between now and then, you know how to reach me.”
Diskant turned and took long strides toward the stairs. When he reached them he climbed up three at a time. He finally reached the top floor and stopped, attempting to cool his desire before he opened the door. Images of his mate waiting for him totally naked, spread out and draped across the bed, sent a jolt through his cock.
He’d never be able to get enough of her. No matter how many times he lost himself in the heavenly cradle of her body.
He froze when he entered the bedroom and found Ava—completely dressed and perched on the corner of the bed—with a cell phone in hand. She gazed up at him with stormy indigo eyes, her expression unreadable.
After walking to her slowly, he kneeled in front of her. “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head and shrugged. “I have to tell you something but I don’t know where to start.”
“The beginning is often best.” He patted her chin playfully, hoping to lift her mood. Instead she averted her eyes and sighed.
“Everything is so confusing.”
“Why don’t you start by telling me who was on the phone?”
When her blonde head lifted to meet his concerned gaze, she looked torn and afraid. “I don’t want you to freak out. You have to listen to me.”
“I’m listening.”
She took a deep breath and answered, “It was Craig Newlander.”
Several volatile emotions overcame him as his protective nature awakened. He rose and moved away from her before she could see his facial features changing or notice that his canines were beginning to elongate. As it was, his fingers burned as his claws attempted to break through the skin.